Low-temperature cabinet construction



May 7, 1946. WEST ETAL 2,399,967

LOW TEMPERATURE CABINET CONSTRUCTION Filed April 28, 1944 4 Shet s-Sheet 1 INVENTORS F zPflflfAfD. 11/557- V g. I BY Mum/141.10

rron [x y 1946. R. D. WEST ETAL 2,399,967

Y LOW TEMPERATURE CA BII IET CONSTRUCTION Filed April 28, 1944 4' Sheets-Sheet 2 70 INVENTORS BY 14 41/411 a l m rm/ Aime/wr y 1945- R. D; WEST EIAL 2,399,961

LOW TEMPERATURE CABINET CONSTRUCTION Filed April 28, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS 055,970. M257 BY Wax/1447 flV/n m/v nrrozn/fx May 1946- I D7 wEsT ETAL I 2,399,967

LOW TEMPERATURE CABINET CONSTRUCTION Filed April 28, 1944 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 T 3 [6 INVEN 0R5 BY 11 41/441 (1 l m rw/ ATTORA/EX Patented May 7 1946 LOW-TEMPERATURE CABINET CONSTRUCTION 7 Robert West, and William U. Vinton, Manitow oc, Wis, assignors to'Ma-nitowoc Shipbuilding Company, Manitowoc, Wis.

Application April 28, 1944, Serial No. 533,127

, 6 Claims.

This inventionrelates to a low temperature cabinet construction and is particularly directed to a. cabinet for quickly freezing and storing food storage purposes.

This invention is designed to overcome the above noted defects, and objects of this invention are to provide a novel form of low temperature cabinet which is so constructed that a front door is provided for the entire cabinet to thus provide the major sealing of the cabinet on its front side, and which also is provided with a plurality of drawers so arranged that each drawer substantially seals its portion of the cabinet behind the door and thus provides an additional seal.

Further objects are to provide a low temperature cabinet having interchangeable drawers and having evaporator units or. evaporator plates positioned above each drawer and positioned below certain of the drawers, the evaporator plates being of different capacities so that different temperatures may be maintained in different drawers, for example, with the upper drawer maintained at a very low-temperature for quick freezing purthe drawer is pushed back into place substantially without disturbing the temperature of other portions of the low temperature cabinet.

A further object is to provide a low temperature cabinet which is so arranged that the drawers arespaced from the evaporator units'or evaporator plates and are not in direct contact therewith, therebyavoiding any chance of the drawers freezing tight to th adjacent evaporator plates.

Further objects are to provide a low temperature cabinet which is adapted for quick freezing and storage of frozen foods, which is so made that it may be formed not only in relatively large units but may be formed and economically operated in relatively small units so that j it is well adapted for domestic use.

Embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the low temperature cabinet, such view corresponding to a section on the line ll of Figure 3.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view at right angles to Figure 1, such view corresponding to a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 isa sectional view on the line 3-3 -ofFigure2.

poses and with the lower drawers maintained well below freezing for the storage or frozen foods after they have been quickly frozen in the upper' drawer, the interchangeability of the drawers permitting the drawer in which the quick freezing has taken place to be substituted for an empty drawer which is placed in the space formerly occupied by the quick freezing drawer, thus always maintaining the low temperature cabinet for the quick freezing of a subsequent batch of foods.

. Further objects are to provide a novel form of low temperature cabinet in, which the drawers are so constructed that they are imperforate with regard to their sides, front, back and bottom and will thus hold the dense chilled air within the drawer even though the drawer is pulled out wardly, so that the minimum loss occurs even when it is desired to place food within or remove food from a, drawer, the construction also being such that when a drawer is pulled out and warm air fills the pace behind the partially withdrawn drawer, this warm air is again discharged when Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail of a modified form of the invention.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 .ofFlgure6.

Referring to the drawings, it m be seen that j the low temperature cabinet comprises an inner casing l and an outer casing 2 between which insulating material I, such asflber glass, is positioned. The inner and outer casings are connected by means of breaker strips 4 and which are shown most clearly in Figure 4. These breaker strips interlock with flanged marginal portions of the inner and outer casings. They are formed of thermally insulating material and the joints between the breaker strips and the casings are sealed by means of a, suitable asphaltic compound which is odorless, water repellent and non-absorbent and has heat insulating characteristics. The material commonly known as "Hydr'olene has been successfully employed. The inner and outer casings interlock with the inner breaker strip 4 and the breaker strip 5 interlocks with the inner and outer casingsalso and serves as a wedging memberto maintain the interlocking of Robert D. West and Alvin N. Dedricks, for

Low temperature cabinet constructions, Seri No. 533,126, filed April 28, 1944.

A main door 6 is hinged as indicated at I to the outer casing and may be temporarily locked as indicated at 8 and is suitably insulated and provided with a sealing gasket 9 adapted to form an air-tight seal with the cabinet when the door is closed in accordance with the usual construction. The inner casing I is provided with a plurality of channel members l at spaced intervals along its side walls and is provided with L-shaped members H at its lower corners. A plurality of drawers indicated at l2 are slidably mounted on the upper side of the channel members and on the L-shaped members H and are adapted to be slid inwardly and outwardly as desired when the main door Bis opened.

Each of the channels it carries a supporting bar B of thermally insulating material upon which the flanged edges of evaporator plates or units It rest. The evaporator plates or units may have their flanges secured to the bars l3 and the bars may in turn be secured to the channelmembers In in any suitable way, forin'stance as shown in Figure 3 by means of screws. It is to be noted from Figure 1 that transversely extending bars i5 extend crossways at the front of the cabinet and are supported at their ends by the channel members l0.

It is to be noted particularly that each of the drawers I2 is provided with a front portion l2' which has upper and lower extending edges which contact with the transverse bars I! when the drawers are closed and the lowermost of which contacts with the front edge of the bottom of the inner casing I o as to prevent circulation of air outwardly from the interior of the inner casing in addition to the sealing provided by the main door 8.

The evaporator units or plates II are connected by means of a series of pipes I with the compressor and radiator units ILand' l8 respectively; These units are carried by a sub-base ll which in turn rests on the bottom or base portion 20 of the cabinet and is removably secured there to in any suitable manner not shown. It is to be noted that a rear portion 2| below the insulated part of the cabinet is open so that the air may freely circulate through the cooler is under the impetus of the fan 22, the compressor and the cated channel 25, see Figures 1, 2, 5 and 6, within which the horizontal portions of the pipes II are Figure 3 that the rear wall of the drawers l2 are inwardly depressed as indicated at 28 to provide site sides thereof.

unit without dismantling any portion of the refrigerating machinery or unit. This is accompiished by providing means whereby the entire refrigerating units including the evaporator units II, the pipes l6, and the power plant including the compressor, fan and radiator, may all be installed by merely slipping them in from the front. This is accomplished by providing a slotted portion in the bottom wall of the inner casing I and providing a block 21 of thermally insulating material with a downwardly slanting slotted portion 28 forming a continuation of the channel 25 as most clearly shown in Figures 1, 5, 6 and 8.

The downwardly slanting slot 28 in the block 21 extends downwardly completely through the block 21 and the block 21 is thus provided with a pair of forwardly projecting leg portions 21, see Figure 8. An upwardly slanting channelshaped metal member 29 is positioned in the channel 28 of the block 21, as shown most clearly in Figure 8, and is secured to the block by means of screws or in any .other suitable manner. A closure block 30 closes the channel in the member 28, see Figure 8, and has a portion that extends slightly downwardly into such depressed channel. It forms in effect a continua-.

tion of the breaker strips 5 which are' on oppo- It is secured to a finishin plate or front plate 3| which has a rearwardly and downwardly extending flanged portion 32, see Figure 5, fitting within a slot in the closure block 30, the closure block 30 being of thermally insulating material and forming, as stated, a continuation of the adiacent breaker strips 5. The front finishing plate 3| may 'be secured to the forwardly projecting arms 21' of the block 21 by means of screws "-as shown in Figure 7. It is preferable to flll the upwardly slanting channel through which the pipes I 6 pass with an asphaltic compound such as Hydrolenefi' It is thus possible to havev the evaporator plates or units It and the compressor and radiator or in their properly spaced relation and thereafter merely slip the parts into place, the channel through which the pipes IS pass being subsequently closed by the means described. v It is to be particularly understood that the apparatus is primarily intended for a quick freezing and storage device for frozen foods The device is so constructed that there is in eil'ect a double seal between the interior of each drawer and the outside for the reason that the front of each drawer seals itself and prevents circulation of air and, in addition to this, the frontdoor provides the first or main seal between the interior and exterior of the cabinet.

- is imperforate with regard to its bottom and positioned. It is to be noted from reference to i clearance for the vertical portion of the pipes II.

It is intended that the inner and outer casings l and 2 and the insulation therebetween be completely assembled and that thereafter a refrig-P erating system may be installed ass packaged.

other walls. Obviously the article desired maybe removed from the drawer or an article may be placed in the drawer. The warm air that has flowed inbehind the drawer when the drawer is pulled out is discharged when the drawer is pushed back into place and the cold air trapped within the drawer is not disturbed. It is to be noted that the evaporator plates ll constitute means for preventing circulation of air between the spaces adjacent successive drawers. Thereafter the main door is shut, thus completely sealing the apparatus. There is thus the minimum loss of cold air and'the minimum entrance of heated air even when a drawer is pulled outwardly after opening the main door.

Preferably an evaporator unit or plate It is positioned above and below each drawer except the lowermost drawer and these evaporator units are spaced from the bottom of the adjacent drawers so as to prevent any chance offreezing and sticking/of the-drawer to the unit. It has been observed in this particular construction of refrigerating apparatus that the freezing occurs substantially. entirely on the lower side of the evaporator units and very. little frost formson the upper side of the evaporator units ll. By having the bottom of the drawers spaced from the adjacent evaporator units, the drawers never freeze to theevaporator units. The imperforate bottoms of the drawers form with the evaporator plates dead air spaces below the bottom of the adjacent drawer and thus substantially prevent circulation of air in such spaces.

After an ex- 7 tended test it has been found'that the formation of frost on the upper side of the evaporator plates beneath the bottom of the drawers does not occur to any appreciable extent and consequently there is no sticking or freezing of the drawer to the evaporator plates. The frost collects primarily on the under side of the evaporator plates and this side is also out of contact with the next ad jacent drawer and does no harm.

It is to be understood that the extent of piping or expansion surface in the successive evaporator units may be altered and may be different one from the other. It is intended that the uppermost drawer shall be the coldest, for instance considerably below zero in order to provide a quick freezing compartment for quickly freezing the material desired to be stored in a frozen state. The successive drawers are preferably arranged to be maintained at slightly higher temperatures, for example from a few degrees below zero to zero. The exact range of temperatures, however, may be varied as desired.

In using the apparatus after quick freezing has been obtained b filling the uppermost drawer with the articles to be frozen, such drawer may be interchanged with some other empty drawer to maintain the articles in a frozen condition and have the empty drawer availablefor subsequent use where quick freezing of additional articles is desired. These results are readily obtained by making all of the drawers freely interchangeable and maintaining at least one of the drawers, for instance the uppermost one, at a materially lower temperature than the other drawers for quick freezing, the remaining drawers being adapted for the storage of the frozen foods.

' If desired, the particular compartment, for example the uppermost one, used for quick freezing may not be provided with a drawer but as compartment. It has been found that the time required for quick freezing is reduced if a slight circulation of air is maintained. Therefore, it is within the province of this invention to provide a small electric motor driving a fan as indicated at 31 and carried by the auxiliary door 3|, as

shown in Figure 4. The fan may be operated for.

apparent from this that when the door very little cold air is lost and when a drawer is a brief interval tohasten the quick freezing and when not needed, may be cut off.

It is thus possible to replace the uppermost drawer and use the construction shown in Figure 4. This construction is particularly serviceable for a relativel short user as it may be difficult for a short person to look downwardly into or reach downwardly into the uppermost of the drawers for the construction shown in Figure 1. Therefore an auxiliary door 34 as shown in Figure 4 is provided to facilitate the positioning of foods in the quick freeze compartment. Also this construction allows the foods to be quickly frozen,

preferably with the foods suitably wrapped, to be separate and distinct compartments and thus.

preventing. circulation of air between the compartments for successive drawers and that the drawers substantially fill their respective compartments and their front faces are in close proximity to the rear face of the door.

is opened,

pulled outwardly, warm air replaces the outwardly drawn drawer and is again expelled when such drawer is pushed backwa'rdly. Thus the minimum of disturbance of cold air within the body of the low temperature cabinet is obtained although free access is provided for each of the drawers. Additionally it is to be noted that each drawer is provided with a front portion which jointly form a substantial second or auxiliaryv seal in addition to the main seal provided by the door.

It will be seen that a novel low temperature cabinet has been provided by this invention which is so constructed that individual drawers are provided and are so arranged that a double seal is furnished by the drawers themselves and the main door. It will be seen further that thedevice may be so arranged that one of the drawers is adapted for quick freezing and the other drawers arranged i'or the storage of frozen foods. All of the drawers are interchangeable.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, it is to be understood that such description is intended as illustrative rather than limiting, as the invention may be variously embodied and is to be interpreted as claimed.

We claim: 1 1. A low temperature cabinet comprising an inner and an outer casing having thermal insulation therebetween, said cabinet having an open front, a door normally closing said open front and forming a main seal for said cabinet, a plurality of vertically spaced drawers within said cabinet with each drawer having a front wall, the front walls of said drawers being spaced inwardly of said door and forminga second seal for said cabinet, and refrigerating means between said drawers arranged to prevent circulav tion of air between the spaces adjacent successive drawers.

2. A low temperature cabinet comprising an inner and an outercasing having thermal insulation therebetween, said cabinet having an open It is' ewisation of air between the spaces aiijacem;

from, a door normall closing said, 0mm fis'ewm and forming a main seal for ssifi cam cessive dmwem, whereby when a 2 mm? rm rality of vertically dmwem w mm dmvm Q1115? small of acid a is 16" .IGG 21m law tampsmtvr: L a z'sorznally aiming skid @3225 main seal, 9

cabinet with each a t e front Walls 05 sa mardiy of said clam far ca-oinet, m-eventi r and cuter c "an thelebetwc" in such draw 1" 

